I almost wrote that aush reshteh is one of those nostalgic dishes for me — but then I realized most of the recipes I name after people I love have that same pull.
Zan Amoo Joon’s aush reshteh, made in her enormous pot, brings back the warm memories of Ramadan iftars and my grandmother’s long sofreh — the gathering, the noise, the laughter around the table right before we broke our fast.
After watching Like Water for Chocolate, I became convinced that food tastes like a dream when it’s made with love — or maybe, if you cook with love, the result simply becomes dreamlike. I don’t know if that’s true of nostalgic family recipes too, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to try.
Zan Amoo Joon’s Aush Reshteh
A hearty Persian herb and noodle soup loaded with beans, fresh greens, kashk, and crispy fried onions and mint — a bowl full of Ramadan iftar memories.
Ingredients
Method
- Soak all the beans the night before, then cook them the next morning until tender.
- Once the beans are well cooked, add the fresh herbs and simmer everything together for about 2 hours.
- Make a generous batch of fried onions with the turmeric, and stir in the fried mint. Add most of it into the soup, saving a little for garnish, then add the noodles last.
- Keep the heat high and stir often so nothing sticks or breaks down; about 15 minutes is enough, then turn off the heat so the noodles don’t clump.
- Stir in the kashk and keep simmering for 30-45 minutes.
- Garnish the soup with the reserved fried onions, fried mint, and a swirl of kashk before serving.
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